Improving environmental performance through ISO 14001

Abstract

The International Standard for Environmental Management Systems, ISO 14001 (the Standard), has been around for nearly 20 years and 2015 saw its third revision. Various research papers in the early 2000s showed that adoption of—and certification to—the ISO 14001 standard did not have any significant bearing on organisations’ environmental performance, as measured in terms of the frequency of incidents and legal compliance. In this latest revision it is clear that concerns raised about the Standard have been taken on board, and it now provides for a more rigorous and effective environmental management system, which will ensure greater focus on the actual outcomes of the system, rather than the paperwork and procedures that are often the focus. New areas of focus include: environmental performance evaluation, leadership and commitment, life-cycle thinking, and addressing the needs of external stakeholders. Through experience gained over 20 years of working with the ISO 14001 standard in the oil and gas industry—including 10 years as a third-party certifier—the author discusses the benefits of adopting the revised ISO 14001 standard, and incorporates case study examples (from Australian oil and gas operators) of best practice as well as some of the pitfalls to avoid. In addition, the paper explores the potential for Australian oil and gas regulators to apply a ‘lighter touch’ to the regulation of ISO14001 certified operators.